Tony was 8th in first testing at TMS.....maybe his luck is changing............plus he liked his car

TONY THE TIGER — Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart is off to an uncharacteristically slow start in 2013. Six races into the season, Stewart ranks just 22nd in points, but Texas Motor Speedway is a track he runs well and it could be the place where he launches the next of his famous hot streaks.

Stewart has two victories at the ultra-fast 1.5-mile track, the most recent coming in November 2011, his last championship season. He has also led 727 laps at TMS, which trails only Matt Kenseth (772) and Kenesth’s former Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle (732).

Why does Stewart like Texas so much? Because the surface is old and broken in, which translates to multiple racing grooves.

“I’ve found that you can pass anywhere, really,” Stewart said of TMS. “If you get a guy who missed the bottom of the corner and he bobbles, you can get around him. But even if someone does make a mistake and you’ve got a little better car than they do, the groove has moved up enough over the years to where the track’s a little wider, so you have more room to get a run on a guy. But as the tires wear out and grip goes away, drivers will make mistakes and a car’s handling will become more important. And, when a guy makes a mistake, you need to be there to capitalize on it. You can really pass anywhere as long as the right opportunity comes up.”

[THURSDAY 12:15 pm ET]

TEST TIME — There will be two rounds of testing today for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. The first is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. ET, with the second taking place from 4:30-6 p.m. There is no television coverage today.